Information request led to probe of agency director

April 25, 2013News Extra

GROVE CITY — The resignation of the executive director of Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV came after a two-month investigation spurred by a right-to-know request from a Pittsburgh law firm, according to Virginia Moore, director of communications.

The MIU IV board of directors accepted Cecelia Yauger’s resignation Wednesday night. She had the post since May 2007, and the right-to-know request “asked for very specific records relating to the use of MIU IV credit cards by Intermediate Unit employees from 2007 to the present,” Moore said in a news release.

Since September 2007, Yauger used an MIU IV American Express credit card.

“A review of the documents for her use of the credit card disclosed a pattern of recurring and regular charges of a highly questionable nature,” according to the release.

As a part of her resignation, Yauger acknowledged that she must make restitution to MIU IV. The exact amount of restitution will be determined as part of the investigation led by Timothy McNickel, MIU IV solicitor.

Law enforcement agencies will be notified, the release said.

The MIU IV collects local, state and federal funds to run its education programs for 27 school districts in Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties.

The board appointed Angelo Pezzuolo of New Castle to be interim executive director. He was the executive director before Yauger.